🔴 France, UK to join 10 other countries in banning goods from Israeli West Bank settlements

France will launch a process to ban products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël ​Barrot said on Tuesday, amid rising settler violence that has further undermined prospects for a two-state solution with the Palestinians. "France is going to put an end to its commerce with Israeli settlements in Palestine, along with 11 other ​countries which have ‌also undertaken similar engagements," Barrot wrote on X. "Why are we doing this? Because ⁠the West Bank is close to exploding – there is frenzied expansion of the settlements, a flare up of violence against Palestinians by extremist settlers, and acts ‌of terror which have been attacked by Israeli authorities themselves," added Barrot. To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. The move comes as ⁠frustration has grown among some European Union states, which have sought for the bloc to take a decision, but failed to gain a qualified majority with the notable opposition from Germany. On Tuesday, ​Britain announced a trade ban on goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied ‌West Bank in coordination with France and Canada. "Given ...